Top Things to do in Arizona
10 Museums in Arizona That You Shouldn't Miss
The state of Arizona is one that features a fantastic diversity of landscapes and areas of geological interest. North Arizona is famous for the Grand Canyon, a colorful chasm with steep rocky walls more than a mile deep and stretching some 277 miles alongside the Colorado River. Other notable destinations in North Arizona include Flagstaff set alongside the San Francisco Peaks which has the largest ponderosa pine forest, Museum of Northern Arizona, and is close to a number of national parks and monuments. On the south side of Arizona lies the city of Phoenix, the largest in Arizona. Notable day trips in Phoenix include the Heard Museum which is one of America's largest collections of Native American art, Phoenix Museum of History, as well as the Desert Botanical garden which has a great collection of desert plants.
Restaurants in Arizona
1. Rock Art Canyon Ranch
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 142 reviews
Offers tours of some of the best preserved petroglyphs in the country.
Reviewed By noworries2000 - Federal Way, United States
OMG! I have travelled all over the world and this is one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Brantley Baird is a piece of living history of the West. He and his family have a 5000 acre working ranch outside of Winslow and they will happily share the history of how their family helped settle the area and show you many amazing artifacts they've kept in their family from the 1800s and early 1900s. After sharing that amazing history they will take you out and show you some of the archaeological dig sites, and let you roam the area on your own and explore the canyons with the pottery, tools, and petroglyphs from the natives who inhabited the area 9000 years ago. I spent an entire day in the canyons exploring the artifacts the natives left behind and I likely missed half of them. Call ahead and make a reservation - they keep the groups small so they can personalize the tours. Take along comfortable hiking shoes, plenty of water, a good camera, good binoculars, and a cooler of munchies. There is an excellent picnic spot above the canyon that is a great rest stop before/after you climb into the canyon. The steps are steep - not good for people who are even partially immobile. I took hundreds of pictures down in the canyon and even swam in the pools of water to cool off. Please respect the area and resist the urge to pick up pottery shards or stone tools that you will surely see walking around. The place is a national heritage site and Brantley and his family have done a great job preserving and protecting it. When you make reservations, be sure to have them text you the simple driving instructions and map that will easily guide you to the ranch (about 40 minutes outside of Winslow). Don't rely on your GPS to find the place - you will likely not find it. (Online maps and directions from search engines such as Google or Bing are wrong.) Plan to spend the day, or even ask about staying overnight. The roads driving around the ranch itself are a bit rough, so make sure your car has good tires and clearance. There is so much to explore, you won't see it all in just a few hours. Above all, these are some of the nicest people you will ever meet! Enjoy!
2. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 8,558 reviews
The renowned Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is everything you could want in a Sonoran Desert adventure! Mostly outdoors and comprised of an AZA-accredited zoo, extensive botanical garden, two art galleries, and a natural history museum, the Desert Museum sits on 98 acres of pristine desert landscape. The Museum showcases the diverse flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert region, featuring wildlife such as coyotes, javelinas, mountain lions, and bighorn sheep in their natural settings. Bird lovers delight in visiting the Museum's two aviaries, one dedicated to hummingbirds! Kids love the interactive Packrat Playhouse and Stingray Touch exhibits, learning to appreciate our unique environment from a young age. The Museum's gift shops offer an incredible bounty of books, jewelry, crafts, and more. This family-friendly establishment offers something for everyone!
Reviewed By Eiregirl
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is one of the few "must-see" things that we consistently recommend to *everyone* who visits the area. Young kids, teens, enthusiastic adults, tired/jaded adults, older folks who aren't as spry as they used to be - it's really a place for everyone. The Museum is accessible, welcoming, and it always receives rave reviews across the board from our visitors. Key highlights - --The "Museum" is really a combination of things. It does have indoor exhibits and the hands-on demonstrations that you'll find in other national museums, but that's just a fraction of what it offers. The Desert Museum is also a zoo with over 230 native animals - and it's one of the top-ranked public gardens in the U.S - and there is an aquarium - and a cool raptor area where trainers fly native birds of prey - and outdoor trails, etc. --The Museum setting is gorgeous. It's a short drive west of Tucson over Gate's Pass, and it sits smack in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. Every inch of the place takes advantage of this unique setting, and it's the best place in town to learn more about the surrounding flora & fauna. --The Desert Museum has a team of top-notch scientists on their staff. In addition to their work with public visitors, many of them are also actively engaged in their field's specialty research and/or education. There is always someone out on the museum pathway with an interesting animal, native plant display, or other engaging story/tidbit of new information. (My kids' top memory - a 'scorpion wall' search around dusk.) You know what you see/hear in the Museum is coming from people who know their stuff. Be sure to carve out at least half a day to visit the Desert Museum while you're in the area. It's well worth your time.
3. Musical Instrument Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 6,330 reviews
The World's Only Global Musical Instrument Museum. Home of the MIM Music Theater--a 300-seat acoustically superb performance space--as well as the award-winning Café Allegro (open 11 am - 2 pm daily) and the MIM Museum Store. The average guest spends nearly four hours at MIM. Please allow plenty of time to fully enjoy MIM's galleries and exhibits. Open daily, 9 am - 5 pm; Closed Thanksgiving; Open Christmas, 11 am - 5 pm. General Admission: $20; Teens (ages 13-19): $15; Children (ages 4-12): $10; Children 3 and under: Free. Hours and prices are subject to change.
Reviewed By P1520TPandrewk
1. Expect to spend at least five hours or more! 2. Wear comfortable shoes! 3. Take your camera, phone charger etc.. 4. For Musicians, music lovers etc... 5. Bucket List Item 6. All styles of music represented 7. 777 Jackpot Rating! Go and see this place!
4. Zelma Basha Salmeri Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 184 reviews
Reviewed By MsCanuck24
Hidden in an unassuming warehouse building, a labyrinth of galleries exhibits thousands of paintings and sculptures from the Basha family's private collection. I spend hours there upon each visit. Admission is free, so please donate generously. It will be the most extraordinary collection of western art that you will ever see!
5. Arizona Copper Art Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 494 reviews
--Winner of the Arizona Tourism Award!-- The Copper Art Museum is one of the most interesting in the USA, purposely located in the former copper town of Clarkdale - a USA City Beautiful Movement town founded in 1912. Clarkdale was built by Senator W. A. Clark "America's Copper King." The collection on display is massive with over 5000 artifacts and hundreds dating to the 1500-1800's, Galleries; Special Historical Information, Military Art, Art and Architecture, Kitchen Collection, Drinking Collection and Winery and Distillery Collection. You will be amazed by this museum!
Reviewed By tbone4 - Scottsdale, United States
An education around every corner. This museum is immaculately maintained and has wonderful self guided signs throughout. The feeling is cool, quiet and peaceful. They have worked hard to create this space. Plan on spending a couple of hours if you want to stroll through....longer if you want to read every sign. Every question you might have about copper and this museum is answered somewhere within these walls. Loved it! There's few places to eat while in Clarkdale. However we took a stroll around this cute little town. We went back to historic Cottonwood for lunch. There's a lot of places to stop there.
6. Douglas Mansion
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 233 reviews
This former home of a mining baron became a state park and a museum in 1965.
Reviewed By AZJoeW - Sun City, United States
The Douglas Mansion is the main feature of the Jerome State Historic Park. This is well worth the stop. It is a self-guided tour of the mansion and there is a 30-minute film about the history of Jerome, AZ. The views are also spectacular looking north towards Sedona. Unlike the rest of Jerome, parking here is easy.
7. Jerome Historical Society Mine Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 224 reviews
Houses a collection of minerals and provides information about Jerome's mining past.
Reviewed By prescottmtngal - Prescott, United States
Went with friends. Add this to your day you will enjoy it. Very Friendly staff and nice gift shop with lots of copper items. Lots of local items to view.
8. Sharlot Hall Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 621 reviews
An educational and cultural center featuring the historical, social and natural aspects of Arizona, with emphasis on the Central Highlands... a heritage and historical site with 11 exhibit buildings (five historical), a research center for collections and conservation of artifacts, and a year 'round calendar of rotating and permanent exhibits, and related educational and cultural programs. Open 362 days a year, and presenting the area's culture from the Pleistocene Epoch (14,000 years ago) to the present.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
The Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, Arizona, includes the first Territorial Governor's residence and offices, a 1930s ranch house, a Victorian house, a log cabin, a replica of the first public schoolhouse in the Arizona Territory, a transportation building and vehicle collection, an exhibit building, an 1870s kitchen garden, a pioneer herb garden, a rose garden and a gazebo. Located at 415 West Gurley Street in Prescott, Arizona, two blocks west of the Courthouse Plaza and Whiskey Row, its centerpiece is the log house that was constructed in the summer of 1864 to serve as the home and office of the first Governor of the Arizona Territory, John Goodwin. It is the oldest building associated with Arizona Territory still standing at its original location. The town of Prescott did not exist at the time but President Abraham Lincoln wanted the capital of the newly established Arizona Territory to be located far from Confederate sympathizers in Tucson. The discovery of gold in the Bradshaw Mountains made it strategic to establish the territorial capital near that wealth. So the town of Prescott was born, named for historian William Hickling Prescott. And the Territorial Governor's new house was built. To preserve the history of the building, a woman named Sharlot Hall began restoring the house and offices in 1927 and the Sharlot Hall Museum was opened in 1928 with the log house situated at the center of the campus.
9. Lowell Observatory
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,931 reviews
We are now in our first phase of reopening! This means you can get limited time, premium access to the Giovale Open Deck Observatory (GODO) These will be private experiences with one group of up to ten cohabitating or co-traveling people. Not only is GODO Premium Access extremely low-risk, it also allows you to experience all the GODO has to offer with virtually no wait times. Stay tuned for more telescopes, in our next phase we will be adding the Clark and Dyer telescopes to the Premium Access experience! Click the link below to learn more about this unique opportunity. We can't wait to see you—welcome back to the home of Pluto! https://lowell.edu/welcomeback
Reviewed By 634lisas - Surprise, United States
We got tickets for $11 on Groupon and it was well worth it even though we were only there in the evening. We arrived just before 8 and saw a presentation on Saturn on the omniglobe. They had 3 telescopes set up for night viewing and we could see Jupiter and all its stripes, Saturn and it's rings and moons and a star cluster that was 222,000 light years away!! We stayed for a constellation tour at 9 which was great - full of interesting info and myths about some of the visible constellations. Next time we will plan to spend the day there as there are talks and presentations running all day long. Perfect for anyone interested in the stars, space or mythology. Highly recommend, even for teens (my daughter is 13) :)
10. O.K. Corral
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,505 reviews
Actual site of the famous 1881 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, AZ. Subject of numerous Hollywood movies. See Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday in daily reenactments. Stand where the legendary Gunfight began. Visit Doc Holliday's room. View over 100 photos of 1880s Tombstone and the Apache Geronimo taken by famous Tombstone photographer C.S. Fly. Open daily 9-5.
Reviewed By marijune27 - Bend, United States
What a great show! The actors obviously have fun and audience participation is a must!! Share in the making of history as the outlaws & in-laws fight to the bitter end!!
